1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mounting structure and a mounting method for a vehicle interior part, which is mounted in a compartment of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one of the vehicle interior parts to be mounted in a compartment of an automobile, there is an assist grip, which is used by a person sitting on the seat of the automobile for maintaining his/her posture, for example.
Japanese Patent Publications Nos. 2002-52969 and 2001-114006 etc. disclose the conventional attaching structures of such the assist grips.
FIG. 58 shows an example of the mounting method for mounting an assist grip 9 to a body panel 4 of the automobile by fixing clips 93 to a fixing member 92 provided at both ends of the assist grip 9 via screws 95, and engaging the clip 93 into a panel hole 41 formed on the body panel 4 to mount the assist grip 9 on the body panel 4.
In this mounting method, the clip 93 of a shape having a pair of left and right leg portions 930, which are connected only at the distal ends 901 thereof, and folded portions 939 formed by folding the pair of leg portions 930 at the rear ends thereof is employed. The folded portion 939 is formed with an engagement hole 933.
Each leg portion 930 includes a first locking pawl 931 for engaging a back surface 402 of the body panel 4 when being inserted into a panel hole 41 formed on the body panel 4. The folded portion 939 at the rear end includes a second locking pawl 932 for engaging a front surface 401 of the body panel 4.
When mounting the assist grip 9 on the body panel 4, the clip 93 is fixed to the fixing member 92 of the assist grip 9 via the screw 95 in a first place. In this case, the screw 95 is passed through a through hole 922 formed on the fixing member 92 and a threaded portion 951 is screwed into the engagement hole 933 of the clip 93.
Subsequently, the clip 93 is inserted into the panel hole 41 and then the first locking pawl 931 and the second locking pawl 932 engage the peripheral edge of the panel hole 41 on the body panel 4. Accordingly, the assist grip 9 fixed with the clip 93 is attached onto the body panel 4. Subsequently, a cap 921 is mounted on the fixing member 92 of the assist grip 9 so as to cover the screw 95 from the front.
In this manner, the assist grip 9 is mounted on the body panel 4 via the clip 93.
In a mounting method described above, in the case of maintenance, the assist grip 9 is removed from the body panel 4 by removing the screw 95 from the clip 93.
However, since the clip 93 is not designed for removal, which is, so-called, a disposable type, when the assist grip 9 is removed from the body panel 4, the clip 93 stays on the body panel 4. Therefore, when replacement of the clip 93 is necessary, the operator must break the clip 93 forcedly to remove it, and this is a laborious work.
As described above, the clip 93 is fixed to the assist grip 9 via the screw 95. Therefore, when mounting and dismounting the assist grip 9 to/from the body panel 4, the screw 95 must be attached or detached every time, which is also a laborious work.
Engagement between the screw 95 and the clip 93 is achieved by engaging between a pair of screw threads 955 of the threaded portion 951 and the peripheral edge of the engagement hole 933 of the clip 93. Therefore, for example, when a large load is exerted onto the assist grip 9, a load is exerted at the peripheral edge of the engagement hole 933 of the clip 93 in the direction of thickness. Therefore, the clip 93 is subjected to deformation, and thus the mounting method of the assist grip 9 is not superior in terms of strength.
Further, in the assist grip disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-A-2001-114006 as well, removal of the base member is not considered. In addition, according to the assist grip disclosed in JP-A-2001-114006, for example, when engagement of the locking pawl is released by a strong impact exerted from the outside thereon, the assist grip may come off the body panel.
On the other hand, the assist grip in the related art is mounted to the body panel in the compartment by a weld nut and a screw so as to be capable of drawing out (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-A-3-279035).
For example, as shown in FIG. 59 as an example of the related art, an assist grip 891 includes engaging members 912 each formed with an elongated hole 913 thereon at both ends thereof. The engaging member 912 is mounted to a body panel 904 by being placed on a base member 892, disposing a spacer 895 and a retainer 896 on the upper surface thereof, inserting a screw 893 through screw holes formed on the base member, the engaging member, the spacer and the retainer, respectively, and screwing the screw 893 into a weld nut 894 welded on the body panel. The engaging member 912 is pressed against the upper surface of the base member 892 via the spacer 895 and the retainer 896 so as to be capable of a sliding movement between the base portion and the spacer, and thus the assist grip can be pulled out from the stored state.
In this manner, the assist grip in the related art is mounted to the weld nut on the body panel via a screw. The body panel is assembled to a main frame of the automobile, and the working space around there is small.
Therefore, in order to assemble the assist grip, it is necessary to turn the screw in the small working space, and thus the assembling performance of the assist grip is not good.